


Winners and Losers

by LaPetiteSirene



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Comfort/Angst, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Male Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23057236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaPetiteSirene/pseuds/LaPetiteSirene
Summary: In the world, there are both winners and losers, but at Rikkai Dai, only winners were allowed, and they were so tired of trying to be winners and failing. The pressure and the need to win overtook them and changed them, until the day they all decided to come back to the school that pushed them. RikkaiBoys/RikkaiOCGirls
Relationships: Marui Bunta/Original Character(s), Rikkai Boys/Rikkai Girls, Yagyuu Hiroshi/Original Female Character(s), Yukimura Seiichi/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. walked away, and heard them say loser

**Author's Note:**

> So I actually started writing this story 6 years ago, and now I'm going through and (slightly) editing it. I have it posted on FF, but decided that I'm going to double post it here as well since it's a goal of mine to eventually finish this.
> 
> I'm still learning how AO3 works, so I'll be adding tags and stuff as I go back through the story. Also this story feels pretty angsty to me now that I look back through it.

**Winners and Losers**

_follow . me_

{taking lefts, then taking rights

how many right turns will take me up

i'm lost when on my own

but i'll find my way back home}

_till . we . can . reach . that . bright . place_

_._

_"I can't take it anymore. I can't be here."_

_"You're kidding me, you're not leaving are you?"_

_"I can't stay here. Not this school, not this place."_

_"What about the team? You can't just leave the team!"_

_"This isn't the place for me. So take care of the team."_

_._

_"Shiori-buchou left already! And I can't be here either. This is driving me crazy. They hate us here. They hate us, and we will never be able to gain their respect again, not without Shiori, and she's never coming back!"_

_._

_"It's time for me to take my leave too. I'm sorry, but with everyone gone, we don't stand a chance anymore. Everyone at this school is a vulture."_

_._

_"You're going to hate me, but there's no place for me here. There's no place for_ us _anymore. Things have started to go downhill, and you know it. We don't belong here. We can't stay because we're not like_ them. _"_

_._

_"You're still going to have the first years. I can't stay here for another year. I'm leaving now, and I'm not going to wait til graduation. Everyone else left. Open your eyes, please. See that this is useless. We lost our place at this school months and months ago."_

_._

_"You honestly can't keep living like this. I don't want to be here for another school year. They're going to destroy you, and you'll have nothing left. Even the captain left. Don't you understand that these people are not human. They're demons who only want to win."_

_._

Every night, she would replay their last words in her head. Their friendship wasn't strong enough to overcome the burden of being a winner at Rikkaidai, and the pressures that came with it. Being a failure was not an option at that school, and they left because they couldn't handle the rejection that came with their failure. They couldn't live with the weight of everyone's expectations sitting on their shoulders. She couldn't stop them from leaving, even when she begged and pleaded. Their friendship was nothing more than weak bonds that disintegrated as soon as the entire school turned their backs on them. Instead of trying to prove themselves again, the team left, disbanded and transferred. 

Their words still played in her head.

.

_"I'm moving to Tokyo and going to Hyotei."_

_"I'll be going to school with my cousins in Osaka at Shitenhouji."_

_"I know people will be angry, but I'm going to Seigaku."_

_"This isn't a school for people like me, so I'm going to Fudomine."_

_"You know I don't want to leave you, but I'm transferring to Yamabuki as soon as possible."_

_"I've found a place where I belong. A place where I'm accepted no matter what. St. Rudolf."_


	2. lost when on their own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new school year. New year, new start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another slightly edited chapter. I'm trying not to change too much of the story, but we'll kind of see how that goes. As of right now, nothing is majorly changed, but the later chapters might be different.
> 
> Also I feel like the first few chapters introducing everyone might be a bit slow, but the story really picks up afterwards.

**Winners and Losers**

_follow . me_

{vision's spotted white

needed pitch dark to see light}

_til . we . can . reach . that . bright . place_

The sky had always seemed a bit brighter around Rikkai Dai than it did anywhere else. The clouds never gathered over the buildings and the blueness of it seemed to be synthetic almost. It was like a fairy tale palace where nothing ever went wrong. It was the home of champions, and rain couldn't seem to break through.

Mori Etsumi stared at the sky in wonder as her feet carried her closer to the building. Every year she witnessed the same brightness—whether it be from the middle school or the high school didn't make a difference. All of Rikkai Dai seemed to be lit up. She had seen the same building for five years, and every spring when she returned to school, the sight would still surprise her. It was the aura of Rikkai that radiated from the buildings. The fact that Rikkai was a school for winners and that only winners were truly accepted there was what kept the school so beautiful yet unapproachable looking. Etsumi couldn't help feel the helplessness that came every year at the sight. The feeling that told her that at one point she didn't belong, and that if she wasn't careful she _wouldn't_ belong again.

Wearily, she forced herself through the school gates. No one was at school yet, the first day of school wasn't until the next day, but for the past week, she had been coming to Rikkai every day to her tennis team practices. All members of the team were required to come in a week early in preparation for the newcomers that would join, and every year, dozens would join, hoping to get a spot on the most famous team in Japan.

"Etsumi-chan!" a childish voice called.

Etsumi brushed her long, straight, brown hair behind one ear and turned around, seeing her friend Satsumi Asa. The young girl looked smaller than ever. Her short stature made her look like a kid, and the earnest expression on her face was that of a naïve child's. Asa's dark blond hair fell out of her bun as she ran to meet Etsumi.

"Etsumi-chan!" Asa called again once she reached her. "Tomorrow's the first day of school!"

"Saa, I know," Etsumi replied, closing her brown eyes for moment. "I'm a bit nervous about being a third year now. More will be expected of me to be a role model since I'll be a senior." A pained expression crossed her face as she remembered her third year at the Rikkai Middle School. That year, she had no one; everyone had left in the middle of their second year, and she was left behind, trying to support the girls' tennis team alone. Each new school year meant another year where she and her old friends made no contact and would continue to not make any attempts at reaching out to each other. They were weak that year: the team and their friendship.

"You're so lucky you'll be a second year," Etsumi said. "It's going to be fun for you."

"Hopefully I'll make it as a regular this year," Asa happily replied. She never sensed the gloom that her friend always had at the beginning of each school year.

The sound of tennis balls hitting rackets grew louder as the two reached the courts. It seemed that only the regulars were there that day. Without a doubt, everyone knew who the boys' team regulars would be. As they turned the corner, Etsumi saw the eight boys that she had seen and known since middle school. The same ones that had chased away any losers from their team, and the ones who lost themselves in their third year to Seigaku. They had not accepted the second place trophy. They refused it and said that they would accept nothing other than first.

Yukimura turned around then and saw the two, giving each a friendly smile and wave. He stopped what he was doing to go over to them.

"Hello," was his greeting.

"Hi, Yukimura-san," Etsumi replied. Asa was too busy craning her head around him to get a good look at the training that the regulars did, and her face lit up when she saw them start to play practice matches against each other.

"Can I please please please watch the practice matches please?" Asa begged. She softly stamped her feet and clamped her hands together as she pleaded with Etsumi.

"Sure, but you should really ask Yukimura-san," Etsumi replied with a smile. Her helpless mood started to disappear at the sight of her oldest friend.

"Yukimura-senpai!" Asa spun on her feet to face him. "Can I please watch your practice matches? Please!" The earnest expression on her face grew fiercer as she asked the captain.

Yukimura restrained a chuckle as he agreed. Once Asa had dashed away to sit at the bleachers in front of the courts, he turned back to Etsumi. "Congratulations on becoming captain. You really deserve it after all of your hard work. I hope that you can lead the girls' team with us to the nationals."

Etsumi blushed slightly at his comment. "Thank you, I'm going to try my best to."

"When are you going to decide who the regulars are on your team?" Yukimura asked.

"Oh, well I was thinking of doing it in the next two or three days, but since only first years are coming in, I could do it tomorrow even since they can't be regulars yet anyways. What about you?"

"I've already decided, we held try outs last week for our current members. As expected, the regulars are still the same on my team."

"I'm sure the team will be just as wonderful."

Etsumi studied the boy before her. He was polite and cordial, but she remembered the way he treated her, the way he treated all of them when they lost at nationals, not even placing. His demeanor became cold, and he was what everyone called him: one of the three Demons of Rikkai.

"I was wondering, Mori-san," Yukimura said, "where is the rest of your team? It appears that they're late." He gave her a knowing smile and closed his eyes, challenging her to deny what he was clearly trying to say: _You're going to lose again if you're not careful._

Etsumi couldn't deny him the fact. Half the girls on the team weren't serious about tennis, they only joined to oggle the boys. The other half was amazingly good, though not as good as her old team. There was dissension in the team and none of the regulars liked each other. They made it to nationals and won first place several times, but their team work was shoddy and they barely spoke to each other.

"They have no respect for you, Mori-san."

She almost said "I know", but saying that would admit to being a loser, and at Rikkai, that wasn't allowed.

.

Asa and Etsumi were jostled roughly as they made their way to the auditorium. Every year they had to assemble in the auditorium to hear a speech from the first year who scored the highest score on the entrance exam. The air of excitement killed Etsumi's initial apprehension and replaced it with a feeling of exhilaration. A new year was a clean slate, a fresh start.

"Eff my life," Asa gloomily said. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "I hate these assemblies. I always fall asleep."

"It's not going to be that bad, Asa! It's the first day of school," Etsumi said.

Asa's bottom lip stuck out further at Etsumi's reply. "Can we at least go find the boy regulars? At least they'll make it fun."

Etsumi rolled her eyes at the younger girl's reaction but agreed nonetheless. They quickly pushed against other people to make it to where the boys were.

"Give me back my gum!" Marui shouted. He had Kirihara in a headlock and was almost rolling on the floor with him.

"I didn't take it Marui-senpai!" Kirihara choked out.

"You're such a fucking liar, Akaya. If you don't give me back my gum, then I'll have you doing suicides until the day you die!"

"Stop being crazy! I didn't take your gum!"

Off to the side a bit, Niou put his hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. His eyes twinkled wildly at the fight that was occurring.

"TARUNDORU!" A loud, booming voice resonated around the group, visibly shaking everyone.

Kirihara and Marui scrambled away from each other as Sanada came marching through with Yukimura and Renji on his tail.

"He can't hurt us," Marui whispered. "They don't allow slapping at the high school."

"But . . . at practice!" Kirihara whispered back. "I don't feel like dying from suicides just yet, and especially not from Sanada!"

Sanada came up to them, and they both quickly shut up. "This is no way for the regulars to behave on the first day of school," Sanada hissed. "At practice you will each run one hundred laps."

"But!"

"No excuses."

Sanada gave one last glare to the two before walking away with Yukimura and Renji, the former of the two waving at Etsumi and Asa before walking away.

"Yo, Bunta," Niou called to a deflated and sulking Marui.

Marui turned around, giving Niou an annoyed look. Niou put his hand in his pocket before pulling out a green packet of apple gum, throwing it at Marui before walking away with a "puri~" on his lips.

"He got us in trouble!" Marui stated. He turned to Jackal. "Did you see that? I have to run one hundred laps already and it's only been the first day!"

"It was your fault," Jackal agreed.

"I have an idea, Jackal! You can just run them for me!" Marui nodded his head vigorously at the idea. "I'll just get you a wig that looks like my hair and no one will even notice. It's a genius plan."

Jackal sighed wearily as Marui went off on his plan. None noticing the girls. The boys and girls weren't particularly friends, but they knew each other by face. Asa was the only one who even attempted to be friends with them, but Etsumi still felt the sting of their rejection from middle school.

"Kirihara-san!" Asa called as she happily walked over to him.

"What?" Kirihara irritably asked. His curly hair shook when he turned his head away from Asa.

"I hope we're in the same class again!"

"Hmph!"

Asa opened her mouth in a smile to say something, but Kirihara rushed past her when the final bell rung, signaling everyone to report to the auditorium.

"Well that was a douche move," Etsumi muttered.

"He's not really like that all the time!" Asa argued. Her eyebrows puckered together to show her frustration. "He's not like some of the other guys. He's nice compared to them."

"And what about compared to the actual nice guys? He's a huge dick?"

"I just think that our teams should get along. I don't see why you and the others don't get along with them." Asa stared up at Etsumi through innocent eyes. She only vaguely understood the "winners only" philosophy of Rikkai.

Asa was prepared to argue more in defense of the guys team, but they had to separate to go sit with their classes. Etsumi was pushed forward and was forced to sit in the middle row of the third years.

"Miu-san—" a voice muttered.

Etsumi quickly turned her head around to locate the voice. She swore she heard someone say Shiori's last name. Her eyes darted from one person to another in search of the person mentioned, but the faces were all lost in the sea of bodies. She turned around again and slumped in her seat, unconsciously eavesdropping on the two girls beside her.

"I heard there are a lot of transfer students this year in our grade! I hope they're guys."

"I hope they're not annoying," the girl's friend replied bluntly.

The lights dimmed, and the stage lights turned on. Voices hushed as the principal stepped on stage. He adjusted his glasses and started, "Students of Rikkai Dai, I welcome most of you back for another year, and some of you for your first year. Our goal this year is to try and get every one of you to succeed in what you want. This is the year that we say good bye to some of our best students, and hello to students who will lead our school to the bright place called victory. This year, is our year to make amends with those who've hurt us and vice versa. This year, we are going to the top, and no one will be able to get in our way. As Rikkai students, you will be a part of this school community, and by being a part of our family, you are expected to do the best for this family. I expect no less than the best from any of you."

He stopped to wipe his glasses, signaling the end of his speech. The students enthusiastically clapped, whether they actually meant to or were forced to. The principal put his hand up in thanks, and the clapping slowly subsided.

"I know that traditionally we have a first year up here speaking," the principal boomed from his spot on stage, "but this year, we have a transfer student who scored highest on the entrance exam, and I'd like all of you to welcome her to Rikkai since this will be her senior year."

Voices in Etsumi's grade buzzed excitedly at the mention of a new third year coming to school.

The principal cleared his throat and continued, "This young lady has shown us the Rikkai spirit, and I would like you all to welcome Miu Shiori to the stage."

Etsumi's heart stilled, and the world around her slowed down. The students started to slowly clap, most of their faces showing no sign of recognition. Etsumi glanced behind her and saw the regulars clap unenthusiastically. Yukimura's smile was in place, and behind them, Etsumi saw a girl get up and slowly walk to the stage. It was Shiori, her face was Shiori's but she looked different. Her once long, wavy brown hair was cut short to her shoulders, and it curled around her face, cupping it. Her green eyes shone with a harsh light that was impossible to read, but her small beauty mark was still there under her left eye. Her movements were too graceful, and she had grown thinner and willowier. There was something she had though that she had lacked before: she was full of confidence. The little smile that was tugging at her lips mocked the others and dared them to call her what they had called her for months in her second year in middle school: a loser.

As she walked past Yukimura, she gave him a sidelong look, her eyes flashing critically, judging him before she even talked to him again. He looked back at her with a look full of nothing. His face was set in an emotionless mask as he scrutinized the girl who once worked beside him as captain. The only thing to indicate his surprise was his raised eyebrows. Renji kept his eyes closed and Sanada silently stared; the other third years gaped at her with open mouths.

"I thought she left for good," Jackal whispered.

"I thought so too," Yagyuu replied, pushing his glasses slightly up.

"I can't believe she would show up again," Niou murmured, "after running away like that."

"Saa, she's so cute now though," Marui added, receiving a punch on the arm from Niou.

"She's completely different," Renji stated. He was writing rapidly in his notebook while keeping his eyes on the girls in front of them. "She's not like how she was anymore."

"You can tell just by her walk and expression," Yukimura added. His words were muffled by his hand. His eyes followed the girl all the way to the stage.

Shiori mounted the steps and walked behind the podium, taking a huge breath before starting, "I'm honored to be a part of Rikkai High School's student body."

She paused and took in all of the faces around her. She could make out all of the boys' tennis team and she caught some few familiar faces. She looked to her left and the words caught in her throat. Etsumi was sitting in the middle of the audience, staring intently at her; with hate or in awe she couldn't tell.

Shiori looked down at her hands, taking a few breaths before continuing. "I hope that this year will be one full of happiness and success for most of us. We're here to represent Rikkai, and we should do our best to do so." She internally winced at her statement; it was the thing she failed to do in middle school. "So let's all try our hardest and bring this school to the top in everything we do, because Rikkai belongs at the top. Thank you."

Shiori calmly walked back to her seat, though her heart was beating faster than it had before. She chanced a glance at Etsumi, who was still staring at her blankly.

.

"That was Shiori!" a girl whispered to her friend. "She's back!"

"It looks like she had the same idea as us," another girl replied. "Rikkai is the best school in the nation, and going here practically guarantees a spot at the University of Tokyo. It's no surprise that she came here for her third year too. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if everyone else came back."

"They would only come back if Shiori came back." The first girl bit her lip in worry. "I want everyone to come back. It's been so long, I don't even _recognize_ Shiori anymore."

"I bet they're around here." The second girl slumped in her seat. "I just don't think any one of us is ready to confront one another yet though. I know they're here. I can feel it. I thought I saw people who looked like Kagami and Akahana when I was walking in here, and I don't know if my nerves are just playing tricks on my eyes or if it's actually them."

"I hope it's them . . ."


	3. try to see the good in me

**Winners and Losers**

_follow . me_

{see the sand in my grasp

from the first to the last

every grain becomes a memory of the past}

_till . we . can . reach . that . bright . place_

"Class 3-A," Shiori muttered as she crowded against the school bulletin board. It listed all of the classrooms and the students in the class. She was violently pushed against the wall as more people crowded to find their class.

"What the-," Shiori angrily murmured as she picked herself up. She recognized some faces from past classes, but they didn't even glance at her, and when there was a glance, it had no recognition in it.

She was surprised, surprised that no one remembered her when she had screwed up so badly in middle school, but she was thankful for that fact. She could start over again. Although she knew that Yukimura and the rest of the team still recognized her, she knew as soon as she looked at them.

Shiori sighed in exasperation as she wound her way around the massive crowd in the hall to get to her classroom.

"Shiori-chan~" A muscular arm was draped over Shiori's slender shoulders. Niou's face grinned at her as he tugged her closer to him.

"Niou-san," Shiori greeted. She stiffened with his arm around her, but that just encouraged him to hug her closer.

"It's been years." He smiled at her with his coy trickster smile. Shiori's eyes narrowed at him, it was not a friendly smile, but a mocking one. The one he used when he toyed with girls or when he beat other tennis players.

"Get your arm off of me. Now Niou-san." Shiori looked up at him with freezing green eyes, and he responded by staring right back at her with the same expression.

"Such biting words for such a small person. If it's even possible, I think you've grown smaller."

"I've actually grown an inch or two."

"You have such slender features though. You're a lot thinner than you were before." He ran a finger over her petal pink lips. The look and smile was still on his face.

Shiori's eyebrows knitted together in anger. "Stop messing with me, Niou-san."

"Are you still even a tennis player?" he continued. "You don't have the physique for it at all anymore. You never did, but you seem to have gotten even more delicate over the years. Are you thinking of joining the team? I bet you wouldn't even be able to lift a racket with that slim arm."

"I'm not weak," Shiori replied acidically.

"Shiori-san, don't try to start that up again," Niou countered. His smile grew a bit wider. "We all know that you're weak on the inside."

Shiori shuddered at his words. She _had_ been weak, but that was three years ago, and she wasn't running from them now.

"Cold?" he questioned.

"Not particularly." She moved a bit faster, trying to get out of his grasp, but he just sped up his walking and tightened his hold on her shoulders.

"We should get along," Niou added. "We are in the same class after all. Class 3-A."

Niou took a look at her face, and his smile grew wider as he saw the slight downturn of her mouth. Her eyes stared heatedly ahead, her will to not look at him wavered as he stuck his head closer to her's. She had never liked the trickster, he was always playing with everyone's emotions.

"If you must know, I'm a ballet dancer," Shiori disclosed.

"So that explains why you look so anorexic."

"I'm not!" She turned her head to glare at him. "I'm still eating the same, I've just grown thinner through my training."

"Ballet is an extremely competitive world, can you stick to it, or will you just run away again?" Niou stopped them both in their tracks and held her shoulders, staring into her green eyes. Taunting her, but not letting her go.

"It's one hundred times more competitive than tennis at this school, and I can handle it," Shiori gritted through her teeth.

He let one of his hands reach to her hair, grabbing a piece and playing with it. "You cut your hair short," he declared. Her hair fell to her shoulders, cupping her face and neck. "I liked it long."

"Well, it's not your hair, Niou-san," Shiori jerked away from him and took a few steps back. "Don't touch me," she repeated. They were both standing in the middle of the hall, looking at each other with venom in their eyes.

"Niou," a strong voice commanded.

Niou slunk away from Shiori, leaning against the opposite wall as Sanada made his way through to the both of them. He stopped in front of Shiori and held out his hand.

"Miu-san," he addressed.

"Sanada-san." His hand swallowed hers up and his grip was strong. His calloused hands felt velvety against her skin and her cheeks tinted pink as she stared up at him, remembering the huge crush she had on him in her second year of middle school, but that was before he treated her like trash. The memory froze her features, and her eyes glinted with a bitter sheen as she looked up at him.

"It looks like we're in the same class," he claimed. His intensely gold eyes stared at her from beneath his bangs. He didn't wear his cap inside.

"Looks like it," Shiori echoed, her hand still tightly in his.

Sanada nodded once to her before walking away towards classroom 3-A.

 _Damn it,_ Shiori thought. _Don't forget, he treated you like trash, like you weren't even worth the dirt that was beneath his feet. He treated you like you didn't belong._ Shiori froze at the thought. She _hated_ him. She hated Sanada and Yukimura and Renji and the rest of their team for making her feel like she wasn't good enough. She hated how they treated her and her team, and she hated how they showed no mercy to others. Sanada was just a part of the three Demons of Rikkai, and she knew that she could never forget how she had felt those years earlier.

"You used to like him," Niou stated, once again next to her. He draped his arm over her shoulders again, leading her to the classroom. "I can see it all over your face. You still like him, and it's just going to be another pitiful crush, like the one you had on him in middle school. He didn't even know you, and after what you did, he didn't even acknowledge your existence anymore."

"Why do you love making everyone feel like crap?" Shiori asked. Her irritation at Niou growing stronger, almost as strong as the hate she used to feel for him.

"Because it's my job. Because I'm Niou, and because it's way too much fun to mess with other people's emotions than to just leave them alone. Like yours for instance, little Shiori-chan."

Niou let out a mean chortle before walking away ahead of her. He was wrong, she didn't like Sanada, she hated everyone on the boys' tennis team. It would be hard to forgive those who had treated her like she was worthless.

.

Etsumi pressed the button on the vending machine, waiting for her can of soda to drop out before she could head to her new class. She hoped to god that she would have the class with Shiori. She wanted an explanation, and truthfully she just wanted her old friend back again.

"Excuse me, are you done yet?"

Etsumi snapped out of her reverie, grabbing her drink and turning around to come face to face with Sato Nadeshiko, one of her teammates from middle school.

Etsumi hadn't seen her for three years, ever since Nadeshiko had quit the team and transferred out of Rikkai.

"Nadeshiko-san?" Etsumi asked.

Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow at her. Her honey blonde hair was still curly and past her shoulders, and her facial features were still the same. Her light brown eyes stared at Etsumi blankly for a few seconds.

"Etsumi," Nadeshiko slowly greeted. It was a name she hadn't uttered for a while.

They both stood there awkwardly, and the whole situation reminded her of a bad Asian drama. One where lots of people were in love triangles and where none of the characters knew what they wanted.

"What are you doing here?" Etsumi finally ventured to ask.

"I came back for my senior year. This is a great school academically, and it'll really help me get into the University of Tokyo," Nadeshiko stated factually. She shifted her weight to rest on her left foot, a sign that she was getting uncomfortable. She knew that she would run into Etsumi, she just didn't think she would on the first day of school. Her and Sorano Michiru, another old teammate, had agreed to come back together for their senior year. Nadeshiko didn't expect Shiori to be there, and seeing Etsumi so soon was giving her a stomachache.

Nadeshiko turned to leave, forgetting about her drink.

"Wait!" Etsumi gasped, grabbing Nadeshiko's arm. "You can't go yet."

"What?"

"Don't you want to find Shiori-san and be friends again? Don't you want to join the tennis team?"

"No. I don't," Nadeshiko proclaimed. Her eyes still stared blankly at Etsumi, they seemed to be drifting in and out of focus. She wasn't interested.

Etsumi dropped her hand from Nadeshiko's arm, staring after her as she walked away. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. After all of these years, her old friends still had no interest in each other.

.

Nadeshiko walked slowly back to her classroom. She was lucky that her and Michiru had their class together. They were friends in middle school, and after both leaving Rikkai, they had agreed to return for their senior year. They might have been the only two who still stayed in contact.

"What took you so long?" Michiru pouted. "And where is my drink? You forgot it, didn't you?" Michiru pulled back her bangs and clipped it back with a red bow. "Do I look okay? I want to look my best when I see everyone again."

Nadeshiko looked up at her friend with an annoyed expression. "Why do you want to meet them? The boys are asses, and the girls . . . none of us are friends anymore."

"Well, what if I want to be friends again? Shiori-chan is back, and Etsumi-chan and Asa-san are already here. We just have to see if Akahana-chan, Kagami-chan, and Ryouko-chan are here, and you said that you bet they would be. You also said that you _saw_ Akahana-chan and Kagami-chan." There was a self-righteous look on her face as she looked down at Nadeshiko from where she was standing. Her brown eyes flashing in determination.

"Damn it, Nadeshiko, if you can't get excited about meeting our old friends then you can just stay here all alone, because _I_ am going to go and find them!" With a huge puff of her chest, Michiru rushed out of the classroom, her chin-length, black hair dramatically flaring behind her as she stomped away. She made it two steps before the final bell for first period rang and she was forced to walk back to class.

"How was finding the others?" Nadeshiko asked.

"I will during lunch," Michiru decided. She stuck her head in the air with a "hmph".

Nadeshiko laughed at her friend's behavior, deciding for the moment not to tell her about running into Etsumi.

.

Michiru tapped her foot impatiently as she stared at the clock behind the teacher. If no one paid attention to where her gaze actually was, they would be fooled into thinking she was focusing intensely on the teacher's words. To Michiru, it felt as if classes were going by as slowly as possible. It was the first day of school, and every period, the teachers just explained the rules and expectations of the class, and that went on the whole period, for every. Single. Class.

Finally— _finally!—_ it was lunch.

Michiru jumped out of her seat without a backwards glance at Nadeshiko. She was determined to find her old teammates. She started wandering through the halls, searching for any familiar faces. There was a spring to her step as she burst into every classroom, demanding if Shiori was in there. Most of the people looked at her strangely and mutely shook their heads.

"Is Miu Shiori in this classroom?" Michiru shouted at the inhabitants when she opened the door to class 3-B.

"Um," a red-headed boy muttered, "Michiru-san?"

"Uh . . . yes?" Michiru replied with a creeped out expression on her face. She didn't remember the boy, but his facial features seemed very, very familiar, and the way he blew his bubblegum . . .

"You're back!" he exclaimed. The Brazilian guy sitting next to him rolled his eyes but continued eating.

"Yes . . . I am . . ." Michiru narrowed her eyes, trying to recall his name and who he was.

He stared at her expectantly for a few seconds. Then his expression changed to one of exasperation. "It's me, Marui Bunta. Tennis team regular? Certified genius? Any of this ringing a bell?" He pointed a finger in the direction of the Brazilian. "That's Jackal, my doubles partner."

"Oh!" Michiru mouthed as she recalled who he was. He was the genius of the tennis team, the guy with the big sweet tooth, the guy who didn't treat her too badly when her team had lost. "Oh . . ." Michru couldn't help but also remember the way his teammates treated her and and the other girls though. She slightly clenched her fists as the memories of the emotional abuse the boys' team gave Shiori resurfaced,; it was what caused her to quit the team and transfer schools. Things after that for the team just . . . fell apart.

Michiru awkwardly ruffled her hair, trying to put it all behind her. She looked from Marui to Jackal, not sure what to make of them now, years later. 

"Do yooo woona et lunsh wif me?" Marui asked, his mouth full of cookies.

"What?"

Jackal translated for Marui, "He's asking if you want to eat lunch with us."

Michiru thought about it and weighed the pros and cons in her head. If she ate lunch with them, there was a chance they might become friends, and maybe their team wouldn't treat her and her friends like crap anymore, but what if Marui had only asked her to eat lunch with him to make fun of her? Nah. She quickly scrapped that idea. Jackal seemed nice enough, and so did Marui.

"Sure," Michiru agreed, deciding to put her mission of finding her other friends away for the time being.

"Cool," they both said.

Michiru sat down and took out her bento, opening the lid to reveal fluffy white rice, carrots cut in the shapes of flowers, pieces of sweet egg omelet, and tiny hot dogs cut to look like octopi.

"That looks delicious!" Marui commented, putting a piece of cake in his mouth.

"You seem to be quite the food artist," Jackal agreed.

"Why did you ask me to eat lunch with you?" Michiru's curiosity was getting to her, and she internally scolded herself for being so rude. "You don't like me, or my ex-team."

"Eh." Marui shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't care less. "I saw you were walking alone and I just wanted to invite you. Nothing special. I don't think of you in any way, you're just a girl who seemed lonely so I invited you. Plus, I knew you, and you weren't that bad in middle school, so I don't mind sitting with you. If you really don't like it, then it doesn't really matter to me if we ever talk again or not."

"Well, I was searching for my ex-captain," Michiru stiffly announced.

"Oh, Miu Shiori." Marui stared at the spot behind Michiru's head for a bit, rubbing his chin. "She's that thin girl from this morning right?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Well, she's all right in my book," Marui commented. "I haven't talked to her in years, so it's really not my place to judge her now, and it would be messed up of me if I judged her solely based on her past."

Michiru smiled at his little comment. She chewed slowly, trying to think of things she would say to her old friends if she ever got to run into them. She wanted to be their friend again, but it looked like everyone else was so reluctant. Shiori didn't seem to be searching for them, and Etsumi either. Nadeshiko was just adverse to meeting everyone again.

"Your friend is here too right?" Jackal questioned, forcing Michiru to come back from her thoughts.

"Nadeshiko? Yeah, she did," she confessed.

"Some guys in our class were talking about her," Marui added.

"What?"

"They say she's easy."

.

Nadeshiko was sitting in the empty choir room, her legs folded beneath her short skirt. She gave a sigh as she took another bite of her sandwich. She thought of what Michiru had said, and decided to talk to her later about the whole situation. She just didn't see the point in becoming friends again. They had all changed too much, and Nadeshiko felt bored of her life.

The door slid open, and a boy stepped in, checking her out. Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Don't be so cold, Nadeshiko-chan," the boy grinned.

"I never gave you permission to use my first name," Nadeshiko bluntly said.

He shrugged his shoulders, and advanced towards her. "This morning was fun." He inched closer to her. She realized she didn't know his name.

Nadeshiko closed her eyes as he came closer, the pain pouring out of her in torrents. She opened them again, and saw him right in front of her. Her eyes were glazed in disinterest as he laid a kiss on her lips, deepening it when she kissed him back, pressing herself against him. He pushed her against the desk and slipped his hand up her shirt, touching the edge of her bra.

Nadeshiko closed her eyes and melted against him. The shame was pouring back into her, though her face remained completely emotionless. She felt a hole start to form in the pit of her stomach, and with every guy that she had been with, the hole grew larger, threatening to consume her until that was all she did. The hole grew infinitely larger after every time. She couldn't stop, because when the pain and emptiness left her feeling like there was a ragged hole in her body, a guy could take away that feeling and pain for just a few minutes.

She couldn't be friends with the others anymore because they wouldn't accept her the way she was now. No one knew how she had become, how she had then chosen to live her life, not even Michiru. They had gone to different schools and lived in different cities, no one knew anything about her. Every one of them had changed, and Nadeshiko had changed too.


	4. change is the only constant we'll know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So each chapter contains some lyrics from songs, but I never wrote them down. When I get the chance I'll look them up and add them at the end of the chapters.
> 
> Also this is still totally kind of the intro.

**Winners and Losers**

_follow . me_

{but i believe in whatever you do

and i'll do anything to see it through}

_til . we . can . reach . that . bright . place_

"Class 3-A. . ." Usagi Ryouko flipped her ponytail behind her back as she walked around the halls trying to find her classroom.

 _This is what I get for waking up late,_ Ryouko mentally sighed. She had woken up late, on the first day of school no less, and missed the bus that went out to Rikkai. She couldn't even make it to school until lunch time.

Her stomach grumbled woefully, reminding her that she had missed breakfast, and that now she would be missing lunch too. Ryouko sighed before continuing to find her classroom. It had been years since she had stepped onto a Rikkai campus, and seeing all of the familiar faces was just plain odd.

Ryouko's mind wandered off as she thought about the others. She didn't know if she would be the only one who came back or not, and she was not looking forward to being in any class with any of the boys.

"Excuse me," she said as she brushed past someone exceedingly tall.

"86% that you are Usagi Ryouko. 14% that you are someone new that's not Usagi-san," the tall man began.

"Eh?" Ryouko turned around and looked at the person talking to her. It was a tall guy with brown hair and closed eyes. She tried to call his image in her mind, but he didn't seem very remarkable. He was a very good looking guy, yes, but his features weren't that memorable.

"Am I correct?" he questioned.

"Why do you ask?" Ryouko gulped. _Crap, it's some guy here to bring me to the principal's office for being late!_

"For my data." His eyes remained closed as he talked to the green-eyed girl. Her eyes were flashing with a mixture of indignation and cautiousness.

"Data?" She repeated. Did he mean her school record?

"There's a 35% chance that you forgot who I am," Renji added.

 _Why does he sound so damn familiar?_ Ryouko bit her lip as she thought back to her middle school days at Rikkai.

Her eyes darkened as she tried to remember. The truth was that she barely remembered anything from that time. The humiliation she felt overcame any other feelings, and over the past three years, she had blocked out every bad memory of the time. She nearly forgot why she left, but the impending word _loser_ was embedded in her brain like a crystal in a geode. Their loss at nationals was a pitiful one for Rikkai, one she could never forget no matter how hard she tried, and after that . . . after that she could barely remember what went on. The memories from earlier were locked up in a safe that even she forgot the combination to. She vaguely remembered all of the crude names she was called, and all of the hateful pranks that were played upon her and her fellow teammates—her friends at the time. And she could recollect a bit about the boys' team and how they treated her team, but she had pushed out that thought a long time ago, and in her mind, she only knew that they were treated badly by the boys. She couldn't really even remember who the boys were anymore it had been so long, but she had a faint idea about how they looked and what they sounded like.

Ryouko knew that those memories were bad, so she very rarely ever called upon them. It was because she had locked them away that she was able to be the person she was. She was able to live a carefree and happy life where she wasn't always pressured into winning. She had forgotten about it, and her overall demeanor turned out to be more fun and adventurous.

As she was contemplating all of this, Yanagi Renji cleared his throat, staring at her without even opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't really remember," Ryouko confessed.

"Not as I expected," Renji murmured, his hand on his chin. "If that's the case, can I accompany you to the lunch room?"

"Sorry dude, no can do. I need to find my class ASAP."

"You didn't find it before?" His voice was inquisitive.

"Um . . ." Ryouko bit her lip again, there was no way she could tell him the truth. He might be working for the principal . . . with his "data" it sure seemed like he was.

Ryouko narrowed her eyes at him, scrunching up her nose a bit as she scrutinized him. His tie was perfectly knotted, and his white, button up shirt was ironed, given they weren't tucked into his pants though, but no one tucked their shirt in. He wore wristbands around his wrists, and he held a bento box in his hand.

"Well?" His voice betrayed no emotion, but Ryouko could tell he was getting impatient.

It was at that moment that Ryouko's stomach made the decision for her. "Okay," she sighed. "Let's go get some food before I die."

She followed the boy down the hall, whispers following the two as they walked. Ryouko glanced wildly around, trying to figure out why they were whispering. Was it because she was new? Or was it because the dude she was walking with was actually a social pariah?

"Here we are," the boy announced. He led her into the cafeteria. The sight of the food was making her sway as she was pulled towards the lunch line by the smell.

Yanagi went over to sit with Yukimura and Sanada as soon as he saw that she was preoccupied.

"Who was that you just walked in with?" Yukimura smiled. "It's only the first day of school and you already have a girl following you?"

"That's not what was going on," Yanagi replied. "I was just showing her to the lunch room. She's a familiar face, if you know what I mean."

"There seem to be a lot of those today," Yukimura agreed. His eyes glanced around the room, landing on Ryouko and then shifting back to his friends. "It seems they all came back this year."

.

Ryouko entered her classroom after lunch and explained to the teacher why she was late. Luckily, the man was very kind and decided to excuse her since it was her first day and because she was a new student. It seemed as if he wasn't quite used to the Rikkai rule of no slacking off.

Seats had already been chosen by students and Ryouko didn't want to steal any of their's, so she waited until everyone had filed in and sat down before she chose a seat relatively in the middle behind a black haired girl and in front of a silver haired boy who smiled at her in a strange way before she sat down. Once again she couldn't help but feel as if she faintly recognized him, but she couldn't really tell who he was.

So she decided to ignore the feeling.

Off to the side, Ryouko didn't realize that Shiori was staring at the girl intently.

 _She's back._ Shiori thought. Her eyes glanced to the figure behind the girl—Niou. And then her eyes traveled to the figure a few seats in front of her window seat—Sanada. It was surprising to her that the two boys weren't sitting together; she thought they were all close friends.

Shiori sighed as she spaced out. She needed to keep Ryouko safe from Niou, who was leering at Shirori as if he could read her mind. Shiori composed herself as the history teacher told them to all get into small groups to do the next assignment.

Shiori quickly got out of her seat and made her way to Ryouko who seemed to be having an altercation with Niou.

"Stop pulling my hair!" Ryouko hissed. Her green eyes narrowed at the trickster.

"Puri~" Niou said as he pulled on her long, black ponytail again.

"Niou," Sanada reprimanded, coming up from behind Shiori. She was surprised at his sudden appearance, but he kept his distance from her.

"Eh?" Niou looked up at both Shiori and Sanada with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I want to be partners with Ryouko-chan here."

"Eh? How do you know my name?" Ryouko exclaimed. She looked up at Sanada and Shiori and her mouth formed a small O in surprise.

"Shiori-chan?" Ryouko shouted, suddenly standing up, causing her desk to shake violently. "Shiori!" Ryouko moved forward and gave the girl a tight hug. "Saa, I missed you so much!"

"A-ah," Shiori stuttered. "I feel the same way." She awkwardly patted Ryouko on the back. She wasn't used to such human contact, and it made her feel awkward.

Ryouko let go of her and jumped back slightly with a smile on her face, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Her smile was genuine, but Ryouko's entire look screamed troublemaker. Shiori sighed, Ryouko really always was someone who looked for adventurous and exciting things to do.

"Shiori-chan, you shouldn't be stealing my partner away from me," Niou interrupted.

"I'm not," Shiori replied curtly. Her eyes flashed at him in annoyance for a moment.

"You and Sanada here can be partners."

Sanada and Shiori were silent at the suggestion.

"Find partners quickly!" the teacher announced as he walked through the classroom. He stopped at the four and asked, "So which one of you are partners?"

"Ryouko-chan here is my partner," Niou smirked, grabbing Ryouko's arm and pulling her back down into her seat. "Sanada-fukubuchou and Shiori-chan are partners."

Shiori smiled at Sanada politely before pulling a desk up next to his. She was treating him like a complete stranger.

"I'm sorry about Niou," Sanada apologized.

"No, it's fine," Shiori replied. She brushed her hair behind her ear in a regal sort of way not looking at his face. It seemed as if Niou's little trick then didn't have an effect on her. She seemed more composed than before, and it was sort of eerie.

Shiori was already drawing the shapes of all of the continents on a piece of blank paper. The teacher had given them an easy assignment since it was only the first day.

"I'll label all of the countries and capitals if you draw the borders," Sanada stiffly suggested. He wasn't used to talking or working with girls. He only did it when necessary since he usually had no time for such things.

"Fine with me," Shiori agreed without looking at him.

"Hm." The two continued their work without even a glance to each other all period.

.

"Kagami!" Hoshiyo Akahana whined as she slowly followed her friend. Her feet dragged on the floor as Nagisa Kagami walked briskly ahead. Her pale blonde hair was cut into a curly bob, and she always wore a black headband. Her light blue eyes behind her square glasses were set in determination as she walked even faster.

"Slow down!" Akahana complained. She opened her big blue eyes and stared at Kagami in a forlorn way.

"Your puppy dog look isn't going to work on me, Akahana," Kagami said over her shoulder.

"It's not fair though that we're searching for a club on the first day of school." Akahana stomped her feet and glared at her friend.

"I want to get first dibs," Kagami called. She walked over to the announcement boards and scanned the list of clubs. "Same old, same old. They're all the regular clubs that every school has."

"Maybe you should join the Student Disciplinary Committee since you seem to be so good at torturing students." Akahana rolled her eyes in annoyance. She pulled back her waist length pink hair and clipped it back.

"No thanks," Kagami replied. "I'm not interested in such a club. Anyways, Sanada Genichirou is the president of that club."

"Just forget him. He doesn't matter anymore." Even as Akahana said that, her eyebrows creased in anxiety. She had tried hard not to come in contact with any of the regulars. Yanagi Renji, Yagyuu Hiroshi, and Marui Bunta were already in her and Kagami's class. It would be hard to ignore them, but it wasn't that hard to get past them once the school day was over.

"Let's just join the tennis team and be done with it," Akahana suggested.

Kagami spun around and faced her, a glare on her face. "Did you forget what happened to us? Did you forget how we were treated?"

Akahana's throat felt dry and she took a big gulp. Her eyes projected uncertainty even while she was saying, "I like tennis though. We . . . we shouldn't let the boys ruin that . . . they might be over it by now . . ." Her eyes were cast downwards.

"Your determination never stopped you from leaving Rikkai along with me and the others," Kagami stated coldly.

"That's different!" Akahana's head snapped up. "At least I still got to play tennis at the other school!"

They both stood there silently. It was rare when they ever got into fights. Kagami studied Akahana. She was different. When they both left Rikkai they ended up going to different schools, but still kept in contact through text and calls.

Even though Kagami knew Akahana, it still didn't stop her from being surprised at how much the pinkette had changed. She was a bit lazier in school now, she settled for average grades, she constantly wanted to have fun and be doing something, and she was more disagreeable. Before in middle school, the two had never fought. Being reunited with Akahana made Kagami see that tennis was still her number one. Tennis seemed to be the only thing she wanted to excel in, and maybe she wanted to excel in it because of how people had treated her in middle school. After all these years, Akahana still wanted to prove that she was a good tennis player. She was probably the only one out of all of the girls who left where tennis was still the number one priority in her life.

Akahana still trusted too easily, and that was a weakness. Since leaving Rikkai she had been slacking off in everything other than tennis. Akahana's only focus now was to have fun. It seemed as if she didn't care about most things in her life anymore. She wanted to live life like one big, stupid party.

"I heard that you're a huge party girl now, is it true?" Kagami questioned, asking the one thing she never asked in all of their time apart. She had never wanted to know how Akahana dealt with the aftermath of their loss, and she was worried about bringing it up now.

"Does it matter? We're supposed to be best friends, you're suppose to accept me no matter what. It doesn't matter that I party now or whatever. I'm still doing fine in school, and I'm still doing fine in tennis!" Akahana shouted back. "You just don't understand anymore, Kagami. You don't trust anyone anymore, and it's annoying the hell out of me!"

Kagami shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. It was true, she stopped trusting people, but she didn't want to let her guard down. She didn't want to run from her mistakes anymore, even if being at Rikkai reminded her of how human she was. Of how full of flaws she was. She had trained herself to be a perfect student, a perfect daughter, and a perfect friend. Her parents expected nothing less of perfect, and Rikkai was a place where champions were born. Kagami was to be a champion, and if not . . . her parents would be disappointed.

Sometimes, the stress of everything got to her, and Kagami felt like just running away like how she did in middle school, but if she did again, it would mark her as a true failure. She wouldn't be loved, she wouldn't be admired, she would just be a loser, and a failure, and someone who was worth nothing. She couldn't let her mask crack or the weaknesses inside of her would be exploited. If that was the case, then her parents might not even accept her again, and she knew the feeling of rejection. She felt that powerful feeling when all of Rikkai turned against the girls' tennis team.

"You're too wild," Kagami conceded. She rubbed her temples lightly. She wasn't one to accept mediocrity, and her best friend had decided to live on mediocrity.

"Yeah, but you know you love it," Akahana said. "Best friends accept each other's faults."

Kagami nodded her head slowly, thinking about what Akahana just stated. They were best friends, and even though Akahana had settled for mediocrity in life, she still tried with all her heart to excel in tennis.

"Don't you want to show them all that we've changed? That we're better now and that we won't lose?" Akahana added. "Don't you want to disprove everything that anyone ever said about us?"

"Eh, I do," Kagami consented. "Let's do it then, let's join the tennis team."

Akahana smiled at Kagami, holding out her hand. Kagami smiled back and shook it.

"Let's show everyone that we still got it," Akahana insisted. She had trained hard in the past few years to prove herself, and coming back to Rikkai was the ultimate way in which she would be able to prove her skills.

"Yeah, let's do that," Kagami agreed.

.

"E-Etsumi-buchou!" Asa panted as she ran over to her friend. She had just finished playing her challenge matches and had run off to buy a bottle of water when she heard two girls talking.

"What is it?" Etsumi queried.

"Two more girls are going to join!" Asa jumped up and down as a huge grin appeared on her face. Maybe this year we'll get people who like us!" Asa continued to jump and dance as everyone else trying out played their matches.

Asa had just started dancing the macarena when she spotted the two girls.

"There they are!" she squealed in excitement. She ran towards the two to greet them enthusiastically, but all Etsumi could focus on was the girls' faces.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review or leave a comment I guess!


End file.
